


The Lion and The Dove

by SteamChesh



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Death, F/M, Love, Red Lyrium, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 16:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6247840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteamChesh/pseuds/SteamChesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Constellations usually have tragic tales and this one is no different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lion and The Dove

**Author's Note:**

> Starters: I'm so sorry. My brain would not let me get this out of my head because I'm a sadist and a masochist. 
> 
> But in case you missed the triggers,: This one-shot depicts CHARACTER DEATH and GRIEF
> 
> The Inquisitor Eravir Lavellan is not mine. She belongs to constellatedstories (I'm trying to convince her to post some of her work- she's amazing)

“Uncle Varric, why are the Lion and the Dove together?”

Varric chuckled, “Not interested in the Champion of Kirkwall; In your mother’s tale? Or the Tale of Inquisitor Lavellan?” 

The little child shook her head, her slightly ashen blonde hair shaking as she did so, “Momma said that you’ve told that story a thousand times.”

“And she’s right. But it’s one I’ll never forget.” Varric stared at the little girl, Blondie’s genes were there, he could tell by the hair alone. But the little girl definitely had her mother’s bright blue eyes.

“You don’t forget any of your stories.” She pointed out with her tongue sticking out, “But Papa said you know all the stories of the stars.” She pointed at him, “And I wanna know about the Lion and the Dove.”

And just as stubborn as her mother.

“Alright, alright… You know, I knew both of those characters too… The Lion used to be Knight Captain Cullen.”

“Didn’t he serve under Mary- Mere-” The little one huffed at her one memory. Definitely her mother’s genes.

“Yup. He once lived here in Kirkwall, serving under Knight Commander Meredith. But before that he was a Templar at the Circle of Fereldan.”

“Momma used to live in Fereldan!” She gasped with excitement, her feet wagging at the prospect, “And Papa went there!”

Varric nodded, leaning back in his chair, “And that’s where the Dove went too.”

“Was she pretty?” The child, propped up on her elbows, gazing up at her beloved ‘Uncle’ and Godfather.

“The only person to answer that question would be the Lion.” Varric chuckled, “Though you could say she was, green eyes that glittered like emeralds, red hair like the reddest roses you could ever see… She was a mage you know.”

The little child’s eyes went as wide as saucers, “S-she was?”

Varric nodded, “Mmhmm. And he was a previous Templar.”

That’s when Aveline’s little boy began to get interested, “A Templar?” He was older, though not much, “Isn’t that… Not allowed?”

“Wow…” The little girl wagged her feet and smushed her face into her hands, “Go on…”

“It’s not, usually. But this was a different circumstance. You see, the Circle’s had been abolished, and a rebellion insued. Curly had come here to get away from what he saw at the Circle of Fereldan. But what he didn’t know is that ten years later, he’d be approached by Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast to join what would later be called The Inquisition.”

“What was he in the Inquisition?” Aveline’s little boy, he was definitely like his mother in the aspects of military- definitely the next captain of the guard… If he didn’t let his 'friends’ pull him into the 'trouble making’ status.

“He was the Commander of the Inquisition’s forces. And the military adviser to the Inquisitor.”

“And what was she?” Her bright blue eyes shimmering with curiosity.

“She was the best healer that the Inquisition had to offer. She made most of the antidotes for the various poisons we came up against.”

“How did they meet?”

Varric chuckled, “Well, all stories start- as they often do, with forbidden love. See, before he was Commander, or even Knight Captain, he was just a Templar Knight at the Circle of Fereldan. And she was just a simple healer. Each of them stealing glances at one another, and I have no doubt that Curly’s stuttering was twice as bad back then- but muliplying when he was around Canary.”

“Canary? Why Canary?”

“She liked to hum, whistle and sing whilst she was doing anything- walking, tending to her patients or plants, or while brewing potions.” Varric chucked, and then leaned back into his chair, his hand idly resting on the mug of ale next to him, “The Circle of Fereldan fell to abominations shortly after her Harrowing, and after the Hero of Fereldan saved the nation- he requested a transfer.”

“What happened to her though?” The little girl huffed.

“Well, while Curly was here, she was still in Fereldan. Tending to the wounded, trying to rebuild her Circle- but after the rebellion started and the circles were dissolved, she fled to the Mage rebellion.” Varric took a sip of his mug, “But she didn’t want to fight, she just wanted to help people, to remain nuetral. But in the middle of a war, it’s nearly impossible to remain nuetral.”

Varric chuckled looking at them, their eyes wide as Orlesian saucers, “So when the Inquisitor had to make the choice of helping the rebel mages or the Templars… Well, it was an easy choice- the Inquisitor being a mage herself brought the Rebel mages into the ranks of the Inquisition.” Varric chuckled, “Now, the Inquisitor couldn’t not check up on the wounded whilst she was at Skyhold, so when she visited the infirmary nearly every day without fail… Canary and the Inquisitor became fast friends- if not sisters.”

“It wasn’t until the Inquisitor came in with the news that Curly was trying to overcome his lyrium addiction that she came to Canary in confidence.” Varric took another sip, “Curly was reluctant, and I had to get Tiny to help me drag him to the infirmary… She looked like she had seen a ghost. But we laid him down on one of the cots and whilst she was scanning him with her magic, we saw ourselves out.” Varric sighed, “But just know sometimes you can’t force people to do anything… Even when you can see they’re miserable.” He added with a bit of a grumble, before mentally asking for forgiveness- he could almost hear the two of them laugh in agreement…

“But once they were together, you almost couldn’t get them apart.” He laughed loudly, “Unless it was some urgent matter or private adviser business, they were always together… It wasn’t until Curly started getting headaches again that we knew something was going on. He performed his duties, as she did, and he took potions she made for his headaches, without fail.”

Varric’s face fell, “You know that statue in the middle of the square?”

The children nodded and Varric took a long swig of his drink, “Well, somehow someone dosed his potions with red lyrium… It’s bad enough to be around it… But to ingest it?” Varric shook his head, “With Leliana’s expertise we were able to root out Sampson’s mole while Canary tried to make a cure… But nothing worked and she was getting more frantic by the day, but she wouldn’t give up… Maker bless her soul she never gave up on him….” He wiped his face with his hand, “We failed both of them.”

\- - - - -

“No one touch him!” Piper shouts, gently using fade blast to keep the others away from him. This wasn’t just any fight. Cullen had been tainted by red lyrium and before they could find a cure, it reacted with what little lyrium remained in his bloodstream- infection spreading faster.

And taking him over. She couldn’t allow anyone else to touch him. She had to be the one to do it. Even if she was going to hate herself for the rest of her life- and she knew she would.

“Piper! Get back!” Cassandra shouted at her, attempting to keep The Inquisitor from running to Piper’s side.

Cassandra’s face dropped once that she saw Piper wasn’t going to back down from this- Cassandra wanted to spare her the killing blow, but perhaps it was best this way. Piper would get the closure she need…

No. She wouldn’t. Cullen was the love of her life… She would kill him and he would be gone forever. Cassandra knew that Piper would never recover. 

Piper’s face streaked with tears as she looked upon the man that she loved. Cullen’s face was marred with malice, a bright red streak slicing down his face, a perfect line that followed the scar on his lip.

Blackwall was quick to equip those who could fight, but he was unsure how to proceed. This was their Commander they were talking about. This was the man who had been fighting lyrium addiction, and escaped the Templar life to become a better man- only to turn into one of the things that they had killed so many times before.

It would have been easier to kill him if he was some mindless beast- at least for Iron Bull, but what was worse… Is that what was left of Cullen was still in there somewhere. Somewhere that man, was finding a reason- had found a resolve to fight part of the song of red lyrium- so he could still die Cullen. So he could still die as a man.

But when the mage, the bloody healer of Skyhold shouted at them to stay back- he kept his Chargers at his side- this was her fight. Even if the Iron Bull didn’t approve of the look in her eyes- he had seen it many times in Seheron, this was her fight.

Piper’s jaw clenched, she knew what she had to do. “Andraste preserve me.” She hoped she would not live through this. Maker, she hoped she would die.

Cullen released what sounded like a howl of pain and Piper cautiously walked to him as he doubled over in pain, her hands not leaving her staff.

It’s when she’s close enough to place a hand on his back that he looks up at her like he’s lost in some distant nightmare.

“Get back!” He shouts, trying to push her away, but he doesn’t- something wants her closer. A familiar pair of arms to die in…

She radiates power and beauty… Wouldn’t that beauty be multiplied if she had the song inside her?

Her green eyes remind him of emeralds, and he suddenly can’t remember who she is- but there’s a strong feeling in his chest. A strong love- and maybe if he just gives into it… She’ll save him.

“Piper, he’ll kill you!” Blackwall shouts, ready to come to the rescue, but it doesn’t look like she’s hearing any of them.

His memories come back to him at the sound of her name, and he remembers the woman before him; the way she laughs, her smile, the way she hums and softly sings to the plants in the garden, the way she cried out for him in absolute ecstacy-

“They’re right, Miss Piper.” He chuckles darkly, his mind is screaming internally- the red lyrium is making him twisted, “Thought you could escape death? I know how afraid you are, I know how weak you truly are.”

Piper gulps as she throws down her staff as he stands up, if the real Cullen is in there, then he knows she doesn’t need her staff to be dangerous.

But that’s not what she has in mind. She walks up to him, looking straight up at him and she sees that his look softens as he looks at her.

“Piper, I can’t…”

“I know, Cullen.” Tears are streaming down her face, “But I’m here for you.”

“Piper… I’ll kill you.” He tries to back away, tears streaking his own face now, but she doesn’t let him as she holds his face, making him look at her.

“No, you won’t.” She smiles sadly, “Because you’re my sweet lion… And what kind of loyal dove would I be if I wasn’t with you… Especially now.” She places her lips on his and they’re both crying into it.

But she gives her all, Maker help her if this is the last kiss she ever gives this man, she will give her all… And so does he.

“Piper, I love you.”

“I love you too, Cullen.” She chokes out, and he lifts a radiating red hand and wipes her tears, “More than I could ever say.”

“You don’t have to.” He says, he’s no longer crying, but he’s in pain and he’s holding back the song in his body, the last feeling he wants on this earth to be is love, “I fear I won’t see you by the Maker’s side.”

She knows exactly what he’s implying, “That’s not true, you’ll be there… Just as I will…” But she has to believe she’ll see him again. She has to believe it.

“Just… One more time.” His hazel eyes plead and she’s more than happy to kiss him, her tears steaming off of his skin, “I love you, Piper… Don’t forget that.”

“I love you too Cullen…”

She placed her hand on his chest plate, and one cradles his face as she pours her mana into a spell that will kill him instantaneously. She doesn’t want him to suffer further, she doesn’t want him in further pain… She just wants it to be over.

In her hands she forms a sword of all of her mana. She’s not a Knight Enchanter, not by any means or breath of the word, but a sword will end his misery.

And it does. She watches his face as it goes from pained to relaxed and finally serene.

There are no words to describe how much pain she’s in. How much despair she feels. He holds his corpse close to her, as if she could bring him back. She couldn’t stop placing her lips onto his, hoping there would be some reaction- some… Some movement.

Piper huddled over his corpse, allowing the blood to soak into her mind, her clothes, her hands. Maker, she’d never be able to wash it off. She’d always see it. She’d always see his face as she slept… She’d hear him laugh, the dorky one that rarely ever surfaced, she’d remember the way he said I love you in the mornings- but she’d never hear it again.

“Maker, why him?” She sobbed, putting her forehead against him, “Why didn’t you take me instead? Cullen…” She cradled in face in her bloody hands, “Why didn’t you kill me? You bloody bastard… I can’t…” The words were hard to form in her chest.

And someone was putting a hand on her shoulder, “Piper-”

“Leave me alone.” She didn’t look away- she couldn’t. Cullen Stanton Rutherford was dead, the love of her life gone forever.

She sits like this for what feels like several hours, before another pair of footsteps approach her, soft and barely touching the ground, and she’s clutching the blonde of his curls, constantly running her hands through them- because he always liked that.

Cole stood on the side-lines, trying to weave his way through all of the hurt, but it’s so thick he could almost touch it with his hands- but there’s so much hurt all at once.

“He loved you, he wanted to thank you, for giving him a chance- to allow him to love you like you deserve… He wanted you to be happy-”

“I said leave me alone!” Piper shouts, turning around and shooting a lightning bolt at the spirit boy, but he disappears out of the way, landing only a few feet away from her. 

Cole goes to try again, but someone stops him and he sees that it’s Varric and when the spirit looks down at the dwarf, Varric just shakes his head, wordless.

Varric doesn’t know what he can say either, hell, he’d be surprised if anyone could find anything to say- let alone get near the mage. He didn’t have to be a mage to see she was out of control of her emotions, electricity darting around her like a shield.

Solas looks at the spectacle with downcast eyes, he and the Commander never saw eye to eye, but he could understand devotion to people, to the ones he loved… Piper was an extraordinary healer- even for a human… And now, until her heart recovered- if her heart recovered, they had lost such a cheerful healer.

“What am I supposed to do without you?” Piper whispered, putting their foreheads together, “You can’t die… I… I still have to beat you at chess- r-r-remember?” She places her hand on his face, “See? S-so you can’t be… Y-you can’t be…”

The electric energy falls away almost instantly as she cries, her head on his chest-plate. It’s loud, it’s angry, and everyone has to take a step back because they’re not expecting these sounds to come out of one who used to be so cheerful.

Vivienne knows what it’s like to be that angry- to feel the world falling apart as you hold the one in your arms as they lay dead. She knows what it’s like to hate the world and every living soul in it. She knows what it’s like to have loved and lost- to have failed someone so unexplainably close to you. But coping is something that Piper will have to learn on her own- even if all of her friends will rally around her. She may smile once again- but it won’t ever be the same. There will always be something missing.

Dorian is the one to approach Piper now, leaning down and bringing her to his chest tightly. “Perhaps…” He chokes out, almost unable to deal with his own emotions, “Perhaps it’s best to let…” He can’t even get the bloody words out before tears escape his eyes too. He has to at least pretend to be strong, because his best friend needs him to be.

“How-”

“I know.” He stops her from speaking automatically. The less she speaks the better off he’ll be and the stronger he could convince himself to be, “Come now, let’s just…” He wants to help her, but he doesn’t know how. He’s only dealt with these heavy emotions with drinking- something he knows all of Skyhold will be doing in the next hour- if they haven’t already.

“H-he…” She doesn’t let go of his pauldrons, she can’t. Because that would mean letting go of him, and sweet Maker, she can’t do that. She just wants to hold him so tightly. She’s shaking, but Dorian is still holding her tightly, it’s the only bloody thing he can do.

“Is a selfish lout.” Dorian nodded, petting her hair softly, “I know.” His jaw clenches, he doesn’t know what to say- but he finds the words coming out anyways. He looks up to the Inquisitor who only nods and comes around Piper’s other side, placing a delicate hand on Piper’s tightly clenched ones.

“Asa'ma'lin, come on… You can’t stay here.” They’ve always been quick to despose of bodies, but could they do the same thing here? They had to. His body was infected with red lyrium. So much had to be done and in such little of a time span.

“But I…”

“I know… But you can’t.” Eravir’s face looks pained, like this is the last thing she wants to say, and it is, but if they don’t get Piper away from the red lyrium, they’ll lose her too- more so than they already have.

How do they know what loss is? How do they know about anything she’s feeling?

“It’s not fair… We were…” She’s looking at her hands now that they’ve gotten her away from the body, but not without her staring at it the whole way in the Great Hall where they sat her by the fire, “We were supposed to…” She pulls the blanket in closer to her body, curling into herself, rocking herself back and forth, tears still streaming down her face.

There were no songs sung in the Herald’s rest. Skyhold was quiet in mourning.

The Inner Circle watched the healer slowly wither away, weight dropping, the color leaving her face- it was almost painful to watch as her emotions rampages from violent lightning storms to the lethargic pops in the air surrounding the once lively electric mage.

What she wasn’t telling them is that the little she did sleep, desire demons plagued her sleep, in his form- tracing idle circles along her spine as she awoke in his bed- it was something he always did when he thought she had slept too long… They were whispering sweet words to her, that she could see him again if she would just give in.

It was driving her sanity further and further away. 

It wasn’t until she heard the Inquisitor telling Iron Bull to gather his Chargers and take care of a small squad of Red Templars near the Storm Coast.

Anger bubbled in her throat, the sharp crackles of rage tracing along the lines of her veins. She could feel the thunderstorm of vengance begin to rumble in her chest. The surge of power was too good to pass up now that she could taste revenge on her tongue.

It only intensified the closer she got to the Storm Coast.

\- - - -

“Inquisitor-” Varric came into Eravir’s quarters and she looked up from a book that Solas had given her.

But the tone he used is what made her attention tear from the book, “What is it?”

“She’s gone. We’re already lined up and ready to go.”

And they wasted no time.

But even then, they were too late.

“Piper!” Dorian shouted, he could feel mana, but it didn’t feel like Piper’s. They turned the corner of the Storm Coast and saw the Chargers and Iron Bull.

It was a common scene to see blood on Iron Bull’s face- but it was usually in blood spatters, randomized pattern. This… This was different. It was like someone cradled one side of his face, but didn’t have the energy to keep it there, and it dragged down his face.

“Her song is quiet, soft, faint- faltering. But she’s happy.” Cole’s voice was shaking in his chest and they gathered around Iron Bull who was holding Piper like a rag doll in his arms, she was breathing, but barely.

Dorian, Eva and Solas instantly dropped to the ground desperate to do… Something.

“When we arrived…” Bull started softly, “She had taken out most of the vints- was bleeding pretty bad. Dalish and Stitches tried, but…”

Somehow, they all knew- they all saw it coming. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“A year.” Piper whispered, barely opening her eyes, “It’s been a year since…”

Cole took a knee and took his hand in hers, “He will see you now… And you will be happy.” Cole stammered and Cassandra put her hand on his, a sad smile crossing her lips.

“Draw your last breath, my friend.” She spoke, and Dorian couldn’t help but blink away tears.

“Cross the Veil…” He took a deep breath, “and the Fade and all the stars in the sky.”

“Rest at the Maker’s right hand,” Cassandra closed her eyes in an attempt to steel herself, “And be Forgiven.”

Eravir and Solas stepped forward, though Solas did not touch Piper, he rested his hand on Eravir’s shoulder as she kissed Piper’s forehead, “Hamin, asa'ma'lin. Halamshiral, ma lath melenal.”  
_Rest, my sister. This is the end of the journey, your love is waiting._

\- - - - - - - - -

Varric took a breath, “And just like that she was gone.” He was struggling to keep strong in front of children, but during his story telling, he had no idea that others had been added into the room. His friends, ranging from those he made in Kirkwall, to the friends he had made in the Inquisition.

“The Inquisition had lost many people, each one harder than the next- but after Cullen Stanton Rutherford died, we were crippled, and once Piper passed… It was almost hard continuing.” Varric met eyes with the Inquisitor, “But somehow we kept going.” He looked back at the children who had long since cried, “With Dorian’s help, we mapped out some stars in the sky, the very constellations you see today- and made them commonplace, to honor their memory.”

“And even when we’re old and grey… We’ll still honor them. Funny…” He chuckled, wiping his face again, “How love can endure even through time and death.”


End file.
